The first day of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 match between Mumbai and Jammu & Kashmir was all about Umar Nazir Mir. The tall fast bowler from Jammu & Kashmir wreaked havoc in Mumbai’s star-studded batting line-up and helped his team go ahead in the game.
Mir picked up four wickets in the match and one of those wickets was the big one of Rohit Sharma. However, he didn’t celebrate the wicket despite knowing that it defined his cricket career.
Also Read: Rohit Sharma clashes with umpire over ball change during Ranji Trophy match vs J&K
Why didn’t Umar Nazir Mir celebrate the wicket of Rohit Sharma?
After the end of the day’s play, Umar Nazir Mir spoke about his plans to bowl to a big player like Rohit. The 6’4″ fast bowler claims to be a fan of Rohit which is the reason why he didn’t celebrate his wicket.
“A good ball is a good ball against any player, you don’t look at the stature of the player, but Rohit Sharma’s wicket is a big one, I am happy,” Mir told the reporters after the end of play on Day 1.
“The first thought in my mind was, I did not celebrate, as a fan of Rohit Sharma. I know he is something, even though I dismissed him. I am a big fan of Rohit Sharma,” he added.
Rohit Sharma was dismissed for just 3 off 19 balls as he tried to partially pull a short of a good length delivery from Umar Nazir Mir. However, he got a leading edge and was easily taken by the opposition captain Paras Dogra at mid-off.
“Rohit Sharma is a big name” – Umar Nazir Mir
Umar further claimed that it would be a big moment for his team if they managed to beat Mumbai because of the presence of India’s captain and international stars in the opposition.
“(Even) if we win this game, it would be a proud moment because India’s captain is playing in the opposition. When you dismiss an international player, it is always a prized wicket,” Nazir said.
“There was some help from the surface, I tried to bowl in right areas. Rohit Sharma is a big name and his wicket was important for us and for me, personally, as well,” he noted.
Umar Nazir Mir was also a part of the Jammu & Kashmir team which stunned a star-studded Mumbai team at Wankhede Stadium a decade ago in the Ranji Trophy. Nazir was a young bowler at that point but has grown into a much-improved bowler now.
Tough outing for Rohit Sharma
Meanwhile, it was a tough return for Rohit to domestic cricket. The Indian captain returned to domestic cricket after nine years but failed to gain form. In the second innings of this match, he looked impressive for a while but couldn’t get a big score and was dismissed for 28 off 34 balls.
Rohit Sharma has been in poor form with the bat in the red-ball format. He registered just 31 runs in three Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at an average of just 6.20. He even had to drop himself from the last Test at Sydney due to poor form.
After India’s dismal outing in Australia, the BCCI brought out a set of rules that made it compulsory for international players to be available for domestic cricket whenever they are not playing for India. The rule prompted a no. of Indian internationals to play in this round of the Ranji Trophy.
